"The Batman" Review: The Greatest Depiction of The World's Greatest Detective
The Batman is difficult to write about because there are so many things to talk about. Where do you start? Simply put, this may be the greatest depiction of the world’s greatest detective on the big screen!
The film starts in a Gotham City where criminals fear the bat symbol in the sky, but the Gotham Police Department doesn’t quite trust the masked vigilante yet. That’s not entirely true, at least one person does, James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). So when the mayor is killed by The Riddler (Paul Dano), Batman (Robert Pattinson) gets to visit the scene under skeptical eyes.
This is the crux of this Neo-noir film. Key political figures in Gotham are getting picked off by The Riddler one at a time and Batman has to solve it. Along the way his paths intertwine with Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) aka Catwoman. I’d rather you go into the film as cold as possible so that you can enjoy the movie like I did, but I will talk about key elements here that don’t spoil the plot.
The direction from writer/director Matt Reeves is spectacular. This is the same man that brought us films like Cloverfield, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, and War of The Planet of The Apes. So every moment and action sequence is well thought out and planned. Reeves partnership with cinematographer, Greig Fraser, paints Gotham in shadows and red. The red hues of dusk and dawn are used throughout the film for exterior shots. Fire burns and bullets also fly to illuminate characters with natural lighting. It sets a tone for this film that is kept throughout.
The ensemble cast at work is amazing in part because of the writing and due to the diligence of the film’s performers. The characters feel lived in and real. They aren’t comic portrayals as we’ve seen in some iterations of Batman movies, but people with histories. While some of the history is told in the film, much of it is in the physicality of the actors. Zoe Kravitz is on one as she plays three roles in this film in my opinion. There’s the girl who works in the club, Selina and Catwoman. Each hat she wears has varying levels of vulnerability. Jeffrey Wright gives a solid, subdued character performance as usual. You may hear people say that Colin Farrell is unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot and it’s true. The makeup and prosthetics have a lot to do with that physically, but he brings the trauma that Oz (as he’s called) would have gone through over the years into this character who has a chip on his shoulder with visions of power. Multiple outlets have reported that Paul Dano lost sleep in getting into the Riddler’s mindset and it shows on screen. Not bags under his eyes, but the twisted evil genius is there. His motivation is palpable.
Perhaps the major question you want me to answer is how is Pattinson as Batman. If I answered that, I’d taint the film for you either way. However, this is one of the first times I’ve seen Batman as an authentically feared entity. Criminals are supposed to fear him and they have in prior films but not like this. Here, the score from Michael Giacchino is fantastic being both brooding and haunting. It can play as a horror score at times and western showdown at others. Sound and the lack of it is used to accentuate the mythic status Batman is starting to achieve in this world. Reeves camera pushes into the darkness and looks for the boogie man like it would in a horror film.
The film is written in a style reminiscent of an old gumshoe. Batman narrates at points throughout the movie. As I said in the opening, this may be the greatest depiction of the world’s greatest detective because finally, we see the intelligent, detective side of Batman. We’re led throughout the two hour and fifty five minute run time by screenwriting that gives us what we need to know and keeps us asking what’s coming next. So use the restroom ahead of time and try not to get a large icee. This is absolutely one you don’t want to miss!
Rating: A
